Top music producers often tell magazines and websites that picking out drum samples is just about an art form these days. This is at least partly true. Think about it, the top 40 (and even beyond) pop and hip hop tracks are dominated by producers who know how to choose drums that take their tracks to another level.
Most professional hip hop producers agree that any song is only as good as the weakest ingredient. While this goes for anything in music and literature, it stands to back up our statements here. Good drum samples can make any song better, while a bad selection or bad sequencing can drag the best song down into the doom of mid-chart locations. Even styles like Jazz require creative and excellent drums to back up the harmonies.
Tip 1: Coherence. This is kind of a problem for many amateurs to accept, mainly because electronic music is supposed to be all about choosing the different drum samples and sounds you want and then throwing them all into the same pot, right? Maybe, but any song - however experimental - should have some coherence among instrument groups; otherwise, the dissonance factor is perpetually increased.
Let's take a look at some coherence-inducing techniques you can use today. In fact, you can do this right now to an existing drum track. The first way is to use reverb on all drum tracks at the same time. Use the same amount of reverb, or different amounts to add some dimension to the drum track. Compression is another form of binding you can put into action right now. Try it on the kick and snare drum samples to start with.
The second tip I'd like to discuss is the style factor. Why style? Style is not the type of drum samples you can choose to use in your drum machine, but rather the way you make space of the drums and also which effects you use. Expanding on the compression discussed earlier, you could also use filters and other effects like slight distortion to set your drums apart as a group of their own. This is the best way to induce style into your existing sounds. It's all about dynamics and the way you adjust your samples on the fly.
When it comes down to picking your next few drum samples, consider the aforementioned tips. Also, I highly advise you to expand your sound selection. Staying within the same hundred samples will soon show in your music. You're going to start developing the same sort of beats and music. It goes well beyond the samples, so do your creative mind a favor and expand beyond your current situation. - 30404
Most professional hip hop producers agree that any song is only as good as the weakest ingredient. While this goes for anything in music and literature, it stands to back up our statements here. Good drum samples can make any song better, while a bad selection or bad sequencing can drag the best song down into the doom of mid-chart locations. Even styles like Jazz require creative and excellent drums to back up the harmonies.
Tip 1: Coherence. This is kind of a problem for many amateurs to accept, mainly because electronic music is supposed to be all about choosing the different drum samples and sounds you want and then throwing them all into the same pot, right? Maybe, but any song - however experimental - should have some coherence among instrument groups; otherwise, the dissonance factor is perpetually increased.
Let's take a look at some coherence-inducing techniques you can use today. In fact, you can do this right now to an existing drum track. The first way is to use reverb on all drum tracks at the same time. Use the same amount of reverb, or different amounts to add some dimension to the drum track. Compression is another form of binding you can put into action right now. Try it on the kick and snare drum samples to start with.
The second tip I'd like to discuss is the style factor. Why style? Style is not the type of drum samples you can choose to use in your drum machine, but rather the way you make space of the drums and also which effects you use. Expanding on the compression discussed earlier, you could also use filters and other effects like slight distortion to set your drums apart as a group of their own. This is the best way to induce style into your existing sounds. It's all about dynamics and the way you adjust your samples on the fly.
When it comes down to picking your next few drum samples, consider the aforementioned tips. Also, I highly advise you to expand your sound selection. Staying within the same hundred samples will soon show in your music. You're going to start developing the same sort of beats and music. It goes well beyond the samples, so do your creative mind a favor and expand beyond your current situation. - 30404
About the Author:
If you're a beatmaker or music producer and want the finest hip hop drum sounds to use, go here: drum samples.
